This September, Phil Schreck will celebrate his 32nd year as a meteorologist at KSFY/Dakota News Now. He has said many times that because he is doing what he has wanted to do since he was a little boy, he hasn't worked a day in his life!

Phil is a very familiar face in this area, but not everyone knows that Phil has mentored students at Eugene Field Elementary, participated in the "Read for the Record" program many times, or that he worked his way through college at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa by working in foodservice.

Many people do know that he and his wife Kristie are both cancer survivors because they have been very open to talking about their experiences. In a recent article in Sioux Falls Business with Jodi Schwan and in a profile on his own station (KSFY/Dakota News Now) he has been very candid about the importance of taking responsibility for your own health.

He also encourages men to talk about their health with their doctor and to get a yearly annual exam. He believes this process was lifesaving when his prostate cancer was diagnosed.

The options for men with the kind of slow-growing prostate cancer Phil was diagnosed with are multiple. One is simply to monitor it for growth without other active treatment, radiotherapy, or surgery for removal.

After conversations with Kristie, Phil opted for surgery 6 months ago and was glad he did, when it was discovered that his cancer was actually a bit more aggressive than was initially thought. He continues to be monitored by his doctor but is doing very well.

Early detection is what both Phil and Kristie believe led to their positive outcomes. In his typical self-effacing style, Phil doesn't want this to be about him. He wants men to get over any shyness they have in discussing health issues with their doctors, because, it is a matter of life and death.

Something else you may not know about Phil unless you've had the honor of spending even a small amount of time with him (as we have), is that he is one of the most humble, kind, and giving people you could meet.

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